Mbidde Orders Martha to Apologize Following Partial Payment

Mukasa Mbidde, a former debtor to Martha Naigaga, has demanded an apology after making a partial payment towards his outstanding debt.

Mbidde owed Martha a sum of 11,250,000 Uganda Shillings, but according to Martha, he has now settled 9 million shillings of the total debt.

The payment, which Martha claims was agreed upon as the final settlement, comes amidst accusations from Mbidde that she had tarnished his reputation on social media.

The Mbidde-Martha dispute has been ongoing for nearly a month, originating as a social media campaign on Twitter dubbed “Mbidde pay Martha.”

The campaign gained momentum when Martha voiced her grievances on Twitter about the unpaid debt she was owed for furniture she had made for Mbidde. The situation turned sour as Mbidde appeared reluctant to fulfill his financial obligations.

On August 2, 2023, Martha took to her social media platform to announce an end to the battle, sharing a letter indicating that Mbidde had made a payment. Alongside this acknowledgment, she also published an apology for tarnishing Mbidde’s name.

Accompanying the letters were pictures, and Martha expressed her gratitude to her supporters, stating, “Dear lovely ones, I am here to say thank you to you all for standing with me. I am here to inform you that I have been given 9,000,000 out of the 11,250,000 that Mbidde owed me. This was on condition that I apologize for ‘muddling’ his reputation and accepting 9m as final payment.”

However, the social media warriors were displeased with the settlement, believing that Martha had been coerced into writing the apology letter and settling for a partial payment.

One individual, Matthias Ssemanda, expressed concern about the rule of law, questioning, “Are we this lawless that someone part-pays a debt and publicly admits he won’t pay the rest?”

Another person, Marion, advised against signing documents under coercion and recommended seeking legal assistance before taking any action.

King Melvin expressed disappointment with Mbidde’s response, highlighting societal inequalities, saying, “The weak are often taken advantage of by powerful people, and it goes unchecked. Society has become so accustomed to this that they consider Martha successful for recovering only 9 million out of the 11 million she was owed. In a society that functions properly, Mbidde would have not only paid the full amount but might have even been required to pay extra money in interest.”

Nevertheless, some individuals congratulated Martha for at least receiving a partial payment, attributing it to luck.

Martha explained that she reluctantly settled for the partial payment to clear her loan elsewhere, expressing her gratitude to her supporters for their fight on her behalf.

Jim Spire Ssentongo, the chief campaigner for Martha’s payment, agreed with those who congratulated her, comparing her situation to a literary novel, “Things Fall Apart.”

Mukasa Mbidde is a former Ugandan representative to the East African Legislative Assembly, a lawyer, and a member of the Democratic Party (DP), one of Uganda’s oldest political parties.